Mr Beazley has been Federal Leader of the Australian Labor Party since 1996. He first entered Parliament in 1980 and has been Leader of the House (1988-1996), Minister for Defence (1984-1990), Minister of Finance (1993-1996) and Deputy Prime Minister (1995-1996). He was also a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.
He is the co-author of The Politics of Intrusion, The Super Powers in the Indian Ocean.